RIFLE RANGE BOY

Saltburn (2023) Written & Directed: Emerald Fennel Growing up, we were engrained into our psyche as if being rich was sinful. The bedtime stories and the fables that were fed to us always put the rich guys as the bad ones. The poor guy will always come out tops with their ‘good virtues’. Stories will invariably end with the rich guys repenting or giving all their wealth to charity, which will put them on a pedestal. The miser is a villain. The King who gives all his wealth is good, and the one who is a spendthrift is bad. The vagabond who gets thrashed around will have a good life. The underdog will prevail in the end. We were taught that being poor is favourable and being ambitious is not favourable. We should have a humble and simple life. Wealth is meant to be divided. An individual should not keep too much wealth. Hey, does this not smell of communism? Now, in its own quite bizarre way, this film is telling us what we were taught is all bunkum. Of course, we knew it all the whi...

Lost Illusion (Illusions Perdues, French, 2022) Director: Xavier Giannoli (Based on 'Illusions perdues' by Honoré de Balzac) The distinction between the left and the right side of politics is said to have had its origin at the time of King Louis XVI. Those seated to the right were royalties and the nobilities who were quite contented with the status quo, that is, authoritarianism and the church's excessive meddling. The feudalistic method of wealth distribution works just fine for them, thanks to their linkages to the monarch. Those on the left of the King earned their every penny through hard work and hard-sell. Naturally, they abhor cronyism and want level playing fields. The French revolution jolted this arrangement at its core. The peasants did not want to be reminded of their past anymore. People with surnames that had an association with the royalties and aristocrats were hunted down and guillotined. By the post-Napoleonic era, things had resorted back to how it was b...

Decoupled (Miniseries; 2021) Netflix It used to be that the institution of marriage was held in such high esteem that all parties worked in tandem to ensure the continuity of this august partnership. This union is viewed as a necessary worldly duty and a mandatory duty for the continuation of species. . In a family unit, in daily day to day living, frictions are bound to arise. The schism between fitting to fulfilling personal agendas and familial needs often clashes head-on. When the shove comes to the push, family requirements take precedence. People had no qualms putting aside private desires for collective upliftment. Somewhere along the way, things changed. At the dawn of the 20th century, the century of self saw people taking more interest in personal development. The idea of giving life and soul to a community or clan did not fly. It became self-interest above the rest. We, a collective noun, became I, me and myself. This miniseries piqued ...

Karnan (Tamil, கர்ணன்  2021) Written and Directed by: Mari Selvaraj Nobody actually thinks much about the presence of a bus stop. It is just there. But for the village of Pudiyankulam, it is, or rather the absence of it questions their existence on Earth. The village is considered a wasteland where nobody wants to live. But for a group of lower caste families, it the place where they live, their children grew, and the memories of their presence in this Universe is embedded. And they want recognition for that.  For years the villagers had to walk all the way to the adjacent neighbouring village to alight the bus as the buses refuse to stop for the villagers as there was no designed stop there. For years, an application to local authorities for a bus stop drew a blank. The neighbours are not too happy having people of lower caste hanging around their area. Quarrel frequently arise.  In emergencies, the dwellers have to resort to stopping speeding lorries to hitch a ride. In...

Is love enough? Sir (Hindi; 2018) Netflix The question is this. What draws two souls together in a romantic bond and possibly in the union of matrimony? Is it physical attraction or the ability to see things through the same lens, have the same madness or perhaps share the same dream of how life ought to be? There used to be a time, perhaps even now in certain circles, of these types of unions being arranged by elders. There are no unique qualities looked for by the involved parties. There is minimal interaction between involved parties, and the marriage is more of a contract to continue the circle of life. One takes what one gets and tries against all odds to hold the fort against time's uncertainties. Come what may, the union of the Gods stand the test of time; only to revoked by death. Now, is it necessary for the uniting couple to be compatible? After all, it is a biological union for continuity of species of which Nature can make the natural selection. Society determines every...

Serious Men (Hindi; 2020) Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises free education to all, at least in the elementary stages. It should be equally accessible to all, and parents have the right to choose the kind of education given to their children. Sounds nice on paper, but in reality, this is far from the truth. It is not a level playing field. How often have we heard of bright students missing opportunities because of their social class, race or simply not knowing the 'right people'? Conversely, so many are elevated way beyond their capabilities because of affirmative actions. Some scaled greater heights as their parents are capable of using their influence or wealth to beat the system or use backdoor means to achieve what they cannot possibly do in a fair game. The world is not fair. The democratisation of education is only a smokescreen. In reality, it is controlled by the elitist. Schools in the developed part of the countries have better facilities...

Raat Akeli Hai (A lonely night, Hindi; 2020) Netflix Everyone enjoys a delightful whodunnit every once in a while. The problem with most Indian movies is that the said story eventually becomes too outlandish as the movie drags on for over two hours and the screenwriters rushing to tie all loose end into a jumble. But not this one. It has Agatha Christie's trademark storyline written all over it. It goes on round and round, shifting the suspicion from one character to another. In the midst of all these, some subplots give the story more punch.    A dead body starts the narration. No one is beyond suspicion, and everyone has something hidden in their proverbial closet. Everyone has a valid reason to be the murderer but an alibi as well. Good old detective work solves the case at the end. A wealthy tycoon is found dead on his bed on the night of his second wedding to a girl younger than his daughter. The tycoon is a nasty chap who had lost his wife to a highway robbery cu...

Sorry We Missed You (2019) During the infancy of my career, many a time, being the most junior of the team, I usually ended up having to see poor patients who just made it to the clinic at closing time. I soon came to know that they were living far from civilisation, deep in rubber or palm oil estate. Coming to the hospital meant getting up at four in the morning, preparing breakfast for the school-going children and being able to get on the first 6 o'clock morning bus to town. Invariably, they would be delayed. The transport out to the main road would not turn up. Perhaps, the feeder bus would break down or the bus that they had to change left earlier. They would eventually reach the hospital close to noon. After getting an earful for not keeping to their time, they would have to seen by the junior most doctor of the team. The senior ones would have left the clinic for more pressing needs. Unable to make a definitive plan of medical treatment for them, these patients who woul...